The 2026 Roblox Innovation Awards closed out this year’s Roblox Developers Conference with a community-voted rundown of the platform’s standout games, creators, and studios. Animal Hospital dominated the night, while competitive shooter Rivals and studio Nosniy Games also walked away with hardware.
Quick answer: Animal Hospital won four awards (Best New Game, People’s Choice, Best Innovation in Creative Direction, and the Builderman Award). The full 20-category list is in the table below.
Full winners list from the 2026 Roblox Innovation Awards
Winners were chosen by the Roblox community after a nomination round and a public vote, then revealed during the awards show at RDC 2026. Here is every category and who took it home.
| Category | Winner | Studio / Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Best New Game | Animal Hospital | Animal Anomaly |
| People’s Choice | Animal Hospital | Animal Anomaly |
| Builderman Award | Animal Hospital | Animal Anomaly |
| Innovation in Creative Direction | Animal Hospital | Animal Anomaly |
| Best Studio | Nosniy Games | — |
| Best Shooter | RIVALS | Nosniy Games |
| Best Use of Audio | DOORS | LSPLASH |
| Best Plugin | UGC Makers Toolbox | Onogork |
| Best Puzzle Game | Finish The Word | Table Game X |
| Innovation in Branded Game | Steal a Brainrot x GOAT | Do Big |
| Best Party & Casual Game | +1 Speed Keyboard Escape | SecretVerse Studio |
| Innovation in Tech | TTK | Sable Digital |
| Best Sports Game | FIFA Super Soccer | Play! Football |
| Best Action Game | Jujutsu Shenanigans | Tze’s Shenanigans |
| Best UGC Creator | Valkenheim | — |
| Best Survival Game | 99 Nights in the Forest | Grandma’s Favourite Games |
| Best Strategy Game | Mini War | M&M Community |
| Best RPG | Piggy: Intercity | Piggy: Intercity |
| Best Classic Game | Natural Disaster Survival | Stickmasterluke |
| Best Video Star | Laughability | YouTube |
Animal Hospital swept the top prizes
Made by Animal Anomaly, Animal Hospital was the clear story of the evening. Its unsettling night-shift setup, where you treat patients, spot anomalies, and try to make it to morning, earned it four separate awards. That haul covered both juried categories and the community-driven People’s Choice vote, confirming it as one of the most talked-about new releases of the year.
Taking Best New Game, People’s Choice, Best Innovation in Creative Direction, and the Builderman Award in a single ceremony is a rare showing. The Builderman Award in particular is presented in the spirit of the platform itself, which makes Animal Hospital’s win there a notable endorsement of its creative identity.
Nosniy Games and Rivals stood out among the shooters
Nosniy Games earned Best Studio, and its competitive FPS Rivals took Best Shooter. Rivals is built around fast duels that scale from 1v1 up to 5v5 matches, and the studio also has a track record with titles like Treasure Quest and Super Golf.
The show leaned into that competitive angle live. A 1v1 Rivals duel between developer Nosniy and YouTuber Kaye ended in Nosniy’s favor, followed by a Dueling Grounds face-off between two Twin Atlas developers, a 2v2 Terminal match, and a Duck Duck showdown.
Genre and creator wins worth noting
The genre categories rewarded games that commit fully to a single lane. TTK from Sable Digital took Innovation in Tech for its high-fidelity tactical combat, from helmet cams and optics to squad-based play. DOORS landed Best Use of Audio, where sound doubles as a warning system rather than just atmosphere.
Elsewhere, 99 Nights in the Forest won Best Survival Game, Piggy: Intercity took Best RPG with its open-world direction, and Natural Disaster Survival was recognized as Best Classic Game. On the creator side, Valkenheim won Best UGC Creator, Laughability took Best Video Star, and Onogork’s UGC Makers Toolbox was named Best Plugin for helping other developers build UGC.
The Hunt: Roblox 20 begins September 17
Alongside the awards, Roblox announced a new event tied to the platform’s 20-year anniversary. The Hunt: Roblox 20 is set to begin on September 17, giving players another reason to revisit the games and creators recognized this year.
Voting for the next round returns with the 2027 Roblox Innovation Awards, so support for a favorite that missed out this year can carry into the following cycle.
